Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gastonia, NC and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Gastonia, NC and in Lisbon: $2,247 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

Gastonia, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,247
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gastonia, NC and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gastonia, NC and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,247 per month in Gastonia, NC vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Gastonia, NC $2,247
  • Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in Gastonia, NC vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Gastonia, NC $3,588
  • Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,928 per month in Gastonia, NC vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Gastonia, NC $4,928
  • Lisbon $4,346

Gastonia, NC costs about 2% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gastonia, NC and Lisbon sit above the global median – Gastonia, NC by 66%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.86 $20.86
$17.04 €15.15
22.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.4 $50.4
$62.3 €55.4
-19.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 $5.61
$11.02 €9.80
-49.09%
Cappuccino
$3.92 $3.92
$3.12 €2.78
25.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$2.27 €2.02
9.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.74 €1.55
12.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.06 $5.06
$3.42 €3.04
47.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.78 $7.78
$3.74 €3.33
108.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.82 $0.82
$1.17 €1.04
-29.91%
White Bread (500g)
$3.00 $3.00
$1.86 €1.66
61.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.54 €1.37
87.01%
Eggs
$3.71 $3.71
$4.06 €3.61
-8.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.93 $11.93
$12.91 €11.49
-7.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.80 $13.80
$7.90 €7.03
74.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.19 $15.19
$17.64 €15.69
-13.89%
Apples (1kg)
$4.19 $4.19
$2.26 €2.01
85.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.75 €1.55
-11.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$1.89 €1.68
117.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.56 €2.27
86.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.85 €1.64
27.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.97 €1.75
48.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.46 $2.46
$1.45 €1.29
69.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$0.77 €0.69
124.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.71 $8.71
$6.71 €5.97
29.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.93 $14.93
$5.67 €5.04
163.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 $1.75
$1.37 €1.22
27.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 $3.92
$2.11 €1.88
85.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.96 $1.96
$2.32 €2.07
-15.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 $4.46
$3.95 €3.51
12.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.16 $3.16
$1.05 €0.93
200.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.54 $34.54
$17.15 €15.26
101.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.19 €1.95
-54.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K $28.1K
$33.8K €30.0K
-16.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$38.3K €34.0K
-33.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$181 $181
$164 €146
10.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$64.2 $64.2
$18.48 €16.43
247.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.3 $72.3
$32.96 €29.32
119.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.97 $27.97
$45.87 €40.80
-39.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.61 $12.61
$9.75 €8.67
29.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,595 $2,595
$684 €608
279.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K $12.2K
$17.6K €15.7K
-30.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.16 $35.16
$104 €92.3
-66.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.2 $50.2
$46.20 €41.09
8.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.7 $68.7
$99.7 €88.7
-31.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.8 $99.8
$125 €111
-19.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,268 $1,268
$1,589 €1,414
-20.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,070 $1,070
$1,169 €1,040
-8.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,880 $2,880
$2,851 €2,536
1.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,416 $2,416
$1,993 €1,773
21.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,401 $2,401
$7,793 €6,932
-69.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,317 $2,317
$4,418 €3,930
-47.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gastonia, NC
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,025 $4,025
$1,600 €1,423
151.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.2
3.85
61.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Gastonia, NC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gastonia, NC
$1.1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 9.3% $99
Groceries & Markets
Gastonia, NC
$375
Lisbon
$273 27.3% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gastonia, NC
$317
Lisbon
$215 32.2% $102
Eating Out
Gastonia, NC
$289
Lisbon
$247 14.5% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Gastonia, NC
$114
Lisbon
$168 47.4% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Gastonia, NC
$53
Lisbon
$65 22.9% $12
Getting Around
Gastonia, NC
$28 *
Lisbon
$63 124% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,268 in Gastonia, NC versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 152% higher in Gastonia, NC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Gastonia, NC versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Gastonia, NC vs $273 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Gastonia, NC
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
21:31 9:31 PM
02:31 2:31 AM
5 h ahead of Gastonia, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
69,904
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gastonia, NC Lisbon 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gastonia, NC
  • Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Gastonia, NC vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Gastonia, NC?
Yes – Gastonia, NC is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,371 per month in Gastonia, NC and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Gastonia, NC and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,247 in Gastonia, NC and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 2%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,595 per month in Gastonia, NC and $684 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Gastonia, NC or in Lisbon?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Gastonia, NC at $2,247. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gastonia, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Gastonia, NC or Lisbon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Gastonia, NC or Lisbon?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gastonia, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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